What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the most affordable homes ($118k median).

Buckfield has the most expensive homes ($228k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Perham	Buckfield
People
Population	326Lowest	2,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	37.7±10.1Lowest 16% below ME
	Perham and Buckfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±8.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	25.7%±7.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Buckfield and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4%	13.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	26.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perham and Buckfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$22kLowest 16% below ME	$77,917±$41kHighest 4% above ME
	Buckfield and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME	$227,700±$18kHighest 23% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$521±$33 54% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$2,860Highest 6% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±55Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Perham and Buckfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	31 minHighest 25% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.6%±12.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Buckfield and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	RSU 10
High school in town	—	Buckfield Jr-Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.